


Antares Fairchild (Route Rewrite)

by UnrealRomance



Category: Starship Promise (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Rewrite of Canon Events, Romance, To make them less icky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-09 17:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14720471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnrealRomance/pseuds/UnrealRomance
Summary: This is a rewrite of the route for Antares Fairchild, which I personally dislike because it's basically the falling-for-your-captor trope and I hate it.I love Antares's character and believe he could still be him with all his moral grayness without being creepy and kind of controlling, so I'm going to do my best to bring that out in my story.If you want to download and then replace my MC's name with your own OC's, that's fine. I'm going with the name Mack Shepherd, in any case. It's just a name I came up with because MC looks like Mick or Mack, depending and Shepherd is one of the most popular names for a sci-fi hero.





	1. Episode 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is completely rewritten and only barely follows canon and where it does, it does so loosely.
> 
> Oh btw it is a prerequisite of this story that you imagine Antares is being voiced by Gideon Emery. (Required) I don't make the rules.

I sent my report to the Union main branch, just this morning.

Telling them all about my little Blip Bop and everything he can do.

The report may be…a tad enthusiastic and a little too thorough, but I'm hoping that just means they'll take it more seriously.

Something that can be used to detect life beyond the boundaries of wild space, though! I even got it to work for a little bit, too. Then the signal, whatever it was, was gone…which is strange. Because not only did I believe I'd have to get on a shuttle somewhere closer to the edge of wild space to test it-

The fact that it moved may mean whatever's out there is in a spacecraft of some kind or…maybe possibly on a small planet with a fast-moving orbit? Who knows.

Then on the way home, I get a strange message from someone about my 'recent discoveries' who wanted to discuss things with me- but it wasn't from a Union official. It was written like it was from an official, all stiff and business-y…almost cold.

But the address on the email was empty, and returned no information when I went digging. Which means they likely used a false identity to set up a fake account that had nothing in it.

That's nothing to scoff at. It takes skill  _and_  money to pull something like that off without your false identity falling through before you can even use it. It's not like the Union is any kind of slouch when it comes to that sort of thing.

So I thought…maybe a higher-up saw my research and was so alarmed by something in it he had to contact me as soon as possible?

He mentioned he wanted to speak to me in person about 'possible dangers and ramifications' and that he'd find me in my office tonight. So it seems pretty serious and like…maybe he thinks it's dangerous?

So I had to go back into work and tell the security guards I forgot I'd scheduled an appointment for after hours. They found that funny.

Everyone finds everything about me funny. Well, not funny. Laughable, really.

I'm the big goof at the office that re-configures tech to do silly things and creates things that no one will ever want or use, just to see if I can…

The one with no friends and barely any connection to her family.

I came back and told the guards I had an appointment instead of calling the authorities because for one thing- I'm curious.

And curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Which is probably a metaphor for being in danger or taking risks, but having it pay off in the end.

Dunno why they wouldn't just say 'scared' the cat or 'injured' the cat, instead of killing it in that case, though. Now that I'm thinking about it, why was a cat even necessary for that metaphor, was it something to do with the nine lives-?

"Mack Shepherd?" a quiet voice calls from inside my office.

My entire brain screeches to a halt in the middle of my off-track musings and my eyes flick up from the door handle I'd been standing there staring at instead of entering the room completely.

There's a man standing in my office, looking very proper in an…incredibly handsome suit. A good suit like that means he's probably as rich as I thought he was. On top of that, he's standing straight and seems to be looking me dead in the eye. I can't tell under that visor, but I  _feel_  like he is.

Which I can  _never_ handle.

My eyes move to look off toward the side of his face while my own face flushes with heat.

Whoever he is, I already seem weird, I'm sure. Standing there staring at nothing and saying nothing instead of walking in and then avoiding his eyes…

Two counts against me in this interaction already, wow. I usually only have one when beginning a conversation with someone new.

"Yes?" I say and close the door behind me. Slightly comforted by the thought that I can yell for the security guards if he tries anything funny.

I don't think he will. His email seemed urgent and businesslike, but not threatening.

Still, I'm keeping my guard up.

"My name is Antares Fairchild, and I work for the Liberation Front," he says.

And I have a sudden urge to yank the door open and scream for the security guards, but I fight it down. If he's saying it so freely and calmly, there must be…I dunno, something more to this.

If he were just here to hurt me or kidnap me or something, he'd likely have incapacitated me while I was distracted instead of trying to get my attention.

What  _does_  he want if not to silence or steal me, though?

"...okay…" I'm finally able to sigh out as I lean back against the door, going for nonchalant. "And you're here because…?"

"You received my message," he states. "You know what I wish to discuss."

"Yes, but why?" I ask. "I'm Union, technically- I live on one of the colonies under their jurisdiction, at least. And you're…Empire. So. Why talk to me at all?"

"Your creation, I intercepted the report you sent to the Union," he says casually. "It could be the answer to a problem I've been attempting to solve. Something that might well save the lives of everyone in both Union Space _and_  within the Liberation Front."

Well that's a hell of a bombshell to just drop on someone's head.

"I can't give you many details, but I  _can_  tell you that what that device can detect is incredibly dangerous. So much so, that a weapon created from it might well spell disaster for the entire universe," he speaks so calmly and with such conviction it's really hard to be skeptical of anything he's saying.

I try anyway. "Wouldn't you be trying to get that for yourself? I mean, all I hear about Empire guys like you is how they climb the command chain by being completely ruthless."

"Interesting," he replies smoothly. "And do you imagine the Union is any different?"

From behind that blackened visor, I can't tell if he's amused, dismissive or completely passive.

His hair is perfectly clean, coiffed and out of his face. His suit is immaculate and he's got his eyes covered…

Usually he'd hit every single warning signal I have in my body. People obsessed with control are…trouble.

But maybe he's just really neat and tidy? And maybe that visor is for a purpose beyond hiding his expression. I mean, he could be blind for all I know.

"I'm sure the Union has had its reasons for anything it's done in the past or still up to this day," I reply. "But the Empire is pretty much all about 'might makes right'. The strongest advance, the weak are culled, all that crap. No matter how corrupt the Union is, it's not the Empire."

"I suppose from your perspective, that's true," he says quietly. "But the Liberation Front is an eclectic organization of individuals that have joined to support each other in their common interests. Not everyone has the same goals, though they may share goals in common with each other."

Makes about as much sense as it can, I guess. He's sorta kinda implying he's using the Empire to further his own goals, but also that, so is everyone else.

It's an incredibly honest answer, I think. It wouldn't make sense to tell me that in that specific way. Not if he was wanting to manipulate me.

He'd have made it sound like he was some crusader for justice, working within the Empire or…if he wanted to be more believable, maybe he'd have said he was a deep cover Union agent or even that he'd come to realize the Empire was a terrible place…

He wouldn't feed me lines about how the Empire is just a means to an end. That just sounds  _more_  suspicious from an objective standpoint.

"So what is it you want it for?" I finally ask. "What will you do with whatever it finds?"

His posture becomes tense and his crossed arms tighten, "I will study it and then destroy it. So no one can use it as a weapon. I want to be sure to eradicate every trace of it."

Well that's…unexpected. If it's a lie, it's a damn good one. It's believable and even reasonable.

And he's seemed pretty reasonable the whole time we've been talking. Even his message seemed completely rational.

"Why?" I decide to test that rationality. "Why not use it for yourself?"

"It's too dangerous to be harnessed," he replies. "It's  _barely_ able to be contained. And that's only in theory."

Wow, for him to put any inflection in his voice, he must really mean that. He's been so deadpan this whole time, that kinda jolted me a little.

"So what would you want from me, if I believed you?" I ask. "My device? My schematics? You already have my report with all my findings…"

"I need  _you_ ," he emphasizes. "I could simply take the device and find what it is I need, but I would prefer not to have to dedicate time and resources learning to use it while the Liberation Front steadily gains traction and the Union commissions you to build another, therefore rendering my actions completely useless."

That…actually makes a whole lot of sense.

"And what do you intend to do with me once you've gotten what you want?" I ask.

He tilts his head, "nothing at all."

There's a pause as we stare at each other.

Clearing my throat, I decide to clarify. "And by that you mean?"

His brow crinkles a bit in what I think is a confused expression. "I don't follow."

"What guarantee do I have you won't kill me once all this is done," I state bluntly.

It's best to be direct, even if it makes people uncomfortable. In fact, especially then.

His brows raise in surprise and his lips part- it's a very disarming expression. It's almost like he had never considered that option.

Almost.

"I have no desire nor any reason to kill you," he says. "In fact, based upon your skills I may offer you a more permanent position if you were amenable."

That surprises me like nothing else has.

No one ever has anything good to say about my skills! Which just makes me suspect he's trying to flatter me.

"What skills are those?" I ask with skepticism lacing my tone.

He tilts his head again, this time the other direction. "You're one of the best engineers on this station. If I'm not being too bold,  _the_  best. I have no inkling of your ranking anywhere else, but the papers you've written and the experiments you've participated in have all been…riveting, to say the least."

This is bullshit, I'm calling bullshit. "There's no way in hell you've read everything I've written or studied- there was barely enough time for you to read  _half_  of even one-"

"You assume that I am implying I read up on you after this incident, but I did not." He cuts me off with a cold surety in his voice that I could never pull off. "I have been following your academic career for some time now, in fact. I myself am something of an engineer, though I would hesitate to call myself any kind of professional."

A hobbyist Engineer. That's what he's going with.

"And which of my wonderful, illuminating papers is your favorite?" I ask in a disbelieving deadpan.

He looks a little caught off guard but answers swiftly and surprisingly. "Your thoughts on how dark matter might effect magnetism and how it might revolutionize everything we understand about energy and propulsion was…especially illuminating." He's smirking by the time he's finished that last bit. Apparently catching on (finally) to the fact that that question was a test. "Are you satisfied now?"

"I…don't know," I say and squeeze myself tightly with my arms. "What would you do if I said no?"

"I will not lie to you, I would render you unconscious and take you into custody," he says. "I would keep you where you could not disrupt my plans and then release you when I was finished. In fact, if you'd wish to be able to return here once we're through, you should tell them that's what happened regardless."

It's really hard to feel threatened by a man who's advising me to cry captivity if I ally with him. And even harder to trust a man who is so ruthless that he'd take me prisoner to keep me out of his plans.

Though it does speak to how high my threat level must be in his own mind. If he feels he needs to keep me safely away from everyone else.

I could use that. And to be honest, letting him run off with my device after knocking me unconscious makes me twitchy and anxious.

Keeping an eye on him from close by and doing what I can to figure out what's going on…might be the best option here. And I'm not too keen on being a prisoner, either.

I have to respect the fact that he told me straight up what would happen either way, though. He seems pretty blunt and honest which is something I can usually appreciate.

Could be wrong about this, could end up being so wrong it costs me my life. But it could cost me that either way.

So I sigh heavily and shrug, "well if it's a choice between prisoner and associate, I choose associate. But I have conditions, if I'm going to work with you."

He inclines his head, "I will attempt to accommodate you in any way I can. Though there are some things I simply cannot do."

"I am not going to work  _for_  you, I'm working  _with_ you," I emphasize. "That means you need to defer to me when I might know more about a situation, such as an engineering issue that might come up. It also means I'd defer to you, in any situation in which you had more experience than I do- but I really hate being told what to do by people who know half as much as I do in any given situation."

It's one of the things that sets me apart. My tendency to argue and do it my own way, even if my superiors and colleagues keep making a fuss.

As long as it always works, they can't really discipline me, but it grates how hard I have to work for a single scrap of respect.

He nods, "of course. I would ask that if any combat situation were to occur, you do exactly as I say. Otherwise, I am always open to discussion and suggestion. Truthfully, I am looking forward to it."

I flush as his gaze burns into my own eyes- I can just feel them through that visor. My eyes dance away and he chuckles softly.

"Something funny?" I ask, hackles raising and doing my best to meet his eyes while anger bolsters me. I can't tell if I'm succeeding. That little frisson of weirdness only happens when I'm  _not_  angry.

"I am only observing the fact that this was much easier than I had hoped," he replies. "I assumed I would need to use force or some form of coercion but it turns out you are much more analytical than I gave you credit for. I will not underestimate your skills in this area again, I can promise you that."

Well that's…incredibly flattering…and he must know that.

"So what happens now?" I ask.

"We go to whatever domicile you call home, pick up anything you might need and then get on my ship and leave." He's so blase, it's almost like we're just talking about getting a bite to eat and seeing a movie. Like this is totally ordinary.

Who knows, this might be normal for an Empire…

"You told me your name, but not your rank," I blurt.

He smiles faintly, "at the current moment, it's Captain."

Oh. 'My ship'…

"And when we get on that ship…will I be staying in a cell?" if he assumed I'd be taken prisoner, it's likely he has no other space available.

He shakes his head, "I had a room prepared. I was never going to put you in a… _cell_."

The emphasis there sounds very…particular but unemotional.

"I guess we have a deal, then," I say and hold out a hand.

He seems a bit surprised for a moment, but then grips my outstretched hand firmly. "It seems we do."

After that, everything is kind of an exhausted blur.

I remember getting my things from home and leaving a note for my parents to call my boss and let them know I wouldn't be at work for a while, but I didn't explain where I went or what I was doing. They might assume I was kidnapped and left the note under duress, which…I mean, as he said before- that could only be beneficial if I ever make it back home again.

If he doesn't actually kill me when I'm no longer useful. We'll have to see if he was actually telling the truth about not wanting or needing to, when the time comes.

When we finally walked onto the ship and I was introduced to the officer that showed me to my room, I was too tired to catch his name when it was given to me.

And now, here I am, lying in bed. Staring up at the ceiling and wondering where the hell to go from here.

Do I throw everything I have into working for this guy to prove myself invaluable and maybe extend my lifespan beyond this one job? Or do I start planning contingencies for when- if -he eventually turns on me?

I could do both, but one path requires a certain amount of trust in his word while the other totally balks at it.

I guess I'll be playing this by ear until I can find out what kind of man the captain really is.

Here's hoping I figure it out fast.


	2. Episode 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This rewrite of Episode 2 has gone a little differently because I felt this worked better and made more sense.

I was so exhausted that I almost slept through my second kidnapping.

Well, technically I still  _did_.

"Come on, you gotta want  _somethin_ ' to eat," he keeps trying to entreat me with food, but I'm not budging.

He's a conventionally attractive man who acts an awful lot like he's not used to being held accountable for his actions.

I don't like that.

And I don't like the fact that he seems to think I'm unreasonable for being angry that I was kidnapped. So I'm ignoring him.

"She appears to be very angry, and I would not get any closer if you value your fingers," that woman with silver hair says.

"Aw, she's not gonna bite me, are ya darlin'?" he grins in a way that I'm sure would be charming if I weren't strapped into a chair.

"I might," I respond tersely and go back to ignoring him.

"Give it up, Jax." The gruff pilot is drinking at his station, which does not inspire confidence in his ability to fly, at all. "I know you always want everyone to like you, but it's not gonna work this time."

"Everyone," the captain guy- a man who looks really weirdly familiar, all decked out in blue and silver- walks in from where I assume the lounge is. "I need a moment with our bounty."

"Ehh, I'm gettin' tired of bein' ignored and glared at, anyway." 'Jaxon' says as he stands and walks toward the door the captain just came out of. "Atlas, you wanna see which one of us can drink the most of that malt I just bought before passin' out?"

"Now you're speakin' my language," the gruff pilot- 'Atlas' replies as he gets up from his station to follow him.

The woman with silver hair steps closer to me and looks to her captain. "Do you want me to go as well?"

"No, just…stand back and listen," he says.

Okay, weird.

"I want to ask you a question, and it is… _very_  important that you answer it," he says. Then kneels down in front of me.

I could probably kick him in the face if my legs weren't strapped in and I wasn't so surprised. Men usually like to loom over you when they've bested you in something, show off their superiority.

Come to think of it, every member of the crew was either sitting or crouching by the time I woke up completely and any time they wanted to try and talk to me.

It was mostly just 'Jaxon' doing that, though.

I stare into his weirdly familiar face with my brows kinked, "you kidnapped me."

"I understand that you're upset about that, but you are a wanted criminal," he says. "Though if you weren't actually in the care of the Empire by choice, I may be able to help you when we reach our destination."

I blink. "What?"

"You fought us off on the ship, and we assumed that meant you were a willing part of the Captain's crew, but it occurs to me that there's more than one way to keep someone prisoner." His expression is incredibly…distant and forthright. Not quite as closed off as the Captain's usually is, but close. "So were you willing?"

"Yes," I reply. Because it's the truth. It's not the whole truth, but what kind of sympathy would I even get for telling them he'd threatened to kidnap me and I chose to go with him to preserve my own freedom? Or whatever bits of it I could get, anyway.

"She is uncertain," that woman speaks from near the wall where she sits cleaning one of her guns. "Not lying, but not telling the whole truth."

"I went willingly, that is the truth," I insist.

"But was your willingness coerced?" he asks. Expression softening slightly. "Did he threaten you, in any way?"

"It wasn't a threat," I reply. "He told me what he had to do, and gave me a choice. I chose to go with him."

"What he had to do?" he asks.

"I can't tell you any more than that, it's important." I stare into his eyes and will him to stop asking me questions. "I didn't join the Empire, though. I joined Captain Fairchild. Individually. And I lived on a neutral station, so the Union putting a bounty on my head for treason makes no sense. I'm not a 'traitor' because I was never _in_  their organization to begin with."

Sure, I sent them a report.

Because I figured they were slightly more ethical than the Empire and if I were going to trust someone with my research in hopes of furthering it, it should be someone who doesn't regularly conquer planets for shits and giggles.

And then Captain Fairchild showed up with his incredibly compelling arguments about how neither the Empire or the Union could get their hands on me and suddenly I had an alternative…that I took to really easily.

I was looking forward to working, but not  _for_  anyone. I just wanted to continue my research. Like any good Engineer, I'm only happy when I'm working.

He nods slowly, "I see you feel very strongly about this."

"She does," the woman says from across the room.

I don't know why she's here, but it seems like she's supposed to be some kind of human lie-detector or something?

The Captain kneeling before me looks up into my eyes and opens his mouth as if to speak- but is quickly cut off by the ship emitting a high-pitched alarm noise.

Atlas and Jaxon come rushing back in and the woman with silver hair takes her place on the opposite side of the cockpit from the red-headed bounty hunter while the Pilot slouches into his seat at the head of the ship.

The Captain stands and turns around, tucking his arms behind his back in a poised display of nonchalance. "Atlas?"

"Incoming Empire vessel, Captain," he replies. "And he's already hailing us."

"Keep the ship moving, but answer him," the Captain replies. A slight note of terseness has entered his voice.

A familiar face pops up on the screen. "Captain Fairchi-"

The woman has stepped behind me and re-applied the strip of tape that I woke up with. Apparently they tried to silence me before knocking me unconscious but I can't remember a single thing about it.

I am now growling in my seat and glaring at the back of their Captain's head as he stares down the fully armored Captain Fairchild on screen.

"Antares," the Captain greets Fairchild.

"Orion," Captain Fairchild returns with an ice cold sneer. "You've taken something you really shouldn't have. I want her back.  _Now_."

"You know I can't do that, Antares," he replies.

"Then prepare yourself," Captain Fairchild says.

His image disappears from the screen just as something smacks into the ship's shields.

"What is he gonna do, blow us apart for her corpse?" Jaxon is typing furiously at his own terminal. "Shields at 80%!"

"He wants her alive, he's just trying to disable us," 'Orion' replies, calmly. "Nova, activate the stealth shield."

I groan and slink down in my seat, resigning myself to being kidnapped right into Union custody. I mean, at least I might be able to convince  _them_  I was kidnapped by Captain Fairchild so I can be given enough freedom to…do, something.

After all, I still don't have all the facts, so if I could get some information from the Union-

The shields go up and suddenly the ship is dancing like a butterfly through a meadow, evading haphazard attacks from Captain Fairchild's ship. The movements are so fluid I hardly get thrown around in my seat.

"Now attack- we don't need to beat him, we just need to slow him down," Captain Orion says. "Aim for his engines. That'll take a while to repair and he'll be flightless until he can get them fixed."

"Aye-aye Captain," Jaxon grins and begins manning the controls for the ship's guns.

Well at least no one's trying to kill anyone, that's an upside, right?

I yelp as the ship lurches- he just landed a hit on us somehow while we were cloaked! He stopped firing and then suddenly-

How did he do that!?

"Atlas, get us out of here!" Captain Orion orders with a bark. "Did our cloaking fail? How did he hit us?"

"Our cloaking is still active, Captain," Nova replies to him. "It would seem it was a lucky shot."

"Lucky…" Captain Orion mutters in a disbelieving fashion.

I grunt as we go into hyperdrive and groan a very long tone to get everyone's attention. I then point at my mouth and glare at them. It's very hard to point when your wrists are tied to a chair, but I give it my all.

Orion is the one to carefully remove the tape from my mouth again. "Yes?"

"You realize he's not going to quit. He's coming after me," I say. "Whether that's a good thing or not, I really don't know, but you haven't lost him."

Orion sighs and walks away from me, "I know. Atlas, how far are we?"

"Not far," Atlas replies. "Maybe an hour away."

"Nova, divert all power from nonessential systems to the hyperdrive and the shields. Jaxon, keep watch on our proximity alarm," Orion orders. "Atlas if you even see a speck of space dust acting funny-"

"I'll call you, Captain," the pilot says, cutting him off.

Orion nods and leaves the bridge.

And everyone shares a look.

"What's up with him?" I ask.

"Nothin' much," Jaxon grins at me and winks. "Just been a rough day for us."

"I bet my day's been rougher," I deadpan.

He snorts, and everyone settles into silence.

I breathe deeply and center myself, before the panic can take over.

Already, I can feel my body chilling and my breath trying to escape me. If I can catch this before it becomes a full-blown panic-attack…

_(You're fine. You'll figure some way out of this.)_

Repeating it like a mantra, I focus on my heartbeat and breathing- and then jolt when the ship rocks a little and I realize we're landing.

( _Shit, I was out for a whole hour?_ ) That tells you how panicked I am right now, I guess.

I feel slightly more calm after spending so much time zoned out, no longer in danger of shaking or anything-but as I'm fastened into cuffs and pulled to my feet, it starts to…build up again.

Really really hate that anxiety disorder that keeps creeping in at the worst times. I mean, I know I'm under stress but it's not like anyone's gonna kill me, right?

That's not as reassuring as I'd like, but it's all I got so I'm taking it.

Captain Fairchild is looking for me and if I'm lucky, I'll be able to send up a distress call somehow and let him know where I am. If not…well, I guess I go digging in Union archives for answers.

I didn't exactly get a big rundown from the Captain before I faceplanted in bed last night.

We walk through the streets and into a very large union office, everyone around me cracking jokes like they're not capturing and selling an actual person.

So far as they know, I'm a criminal, and deserve this. Even after what Orion asked me, he could still consider me such because I joined up with Captain Fairchild who  _is_  Empire.

I don't blame them for doing their jobs and earning a living. I just wish they'd actually done some research on the job they're doing, first. They'd have seen really quick that I was…well, not what they thought I was.

"I will assume you are the crew of the Promise?" a very severe woman in dress whites speaks as we approach her. She has very strikingly pale skin and strangely luminous eyes…part alien, maybe?

"Yup, got yer bounty right here," Jaxon gestures at me with a grin. "You got the credits?"

She pulls a small sack out of her belt pouch and it jingles with credit chips. If she needs that many to pay for me….

( _How high is my fucking bounty?_ ) wait. No…that makes no sense.

No matter how invaluable my research could turn out to be, to spend that much on me-

I'm handed slowly over to the Union officers as the woman steps closer to the Promise crew with the credits.

And I'm less shocked than I should be when she draws her sidearm and touches it to Jaxon's gut while putting the credits back away in her hip pouch. "Unfortunately I cannot simply let you go."

"That makes more sense," I mutter maybe a little too loudly.

" _How_  does this make sense?" Jaxon asks as they all lift their hands in surrender.

"I'm a civilian Engineer- who isn't even a traitor to begin with -so even if they wanted me, it wouldn't be for that many credits," I say.

The woman laughs and turns to look at me over her shoulder, "how clever-"

And that's when Jaxon, Nova and Orion disarm the guards converging on them, and the…from all the decorations on her suit I think she's an Admiral?

The Union men holding me back up and drag me with them as the Admiral gathers herself and gets back to her feet, watching them fight her men. Backing away, she grasps hold of my cuffs and starts dragging me behind her. "Come!"

I don't really have much choice but to follow her, even if I kinda hate her right now.

Understandably, she had a plan and she took a shot- and even though they kidnapped me and I kind of also hate them too…

They were paid to do a job and they got double-crossed. That's just…terrible. This Admiral has no honor or integrity.

At least Captain Fairchild actually keeps his word, from what I've seen.

I  _really_  do not want to see what she wants to do with me,  _now_.

We are almost to a ship in a union docking bay- a small one, probably just meant to transport her back to her actual vessel- when the entire building shudders and the Admiral and I go stumbling to the floor.

Taking the opportunity to scramble up and away from the Admiral, I dash across the room, towards another waiting vessel- one that looks empty. Right after yanking her belt right off her body. And kicking her back to the ground to keep her down and...well...

The ship she  _wanted_ me on had guards waiting just beside it, so this other one is my best bet.

Except then I trip, because I'm a klutz. It's actually a good thing though, because apparently the Admiral was aiming at me with her blaster and her shots go wide overhead.

I turn on my back and scuttle backwards, then stop. Because right in front of me…

"Captain Fairchild!?" I shout, incredulous. "Wha- where the hell did you come from?"

"Just stay down and out of the way!" he shouts as he converges on the Admiral with his laser saber drawn and swinging to deflect her shots.

( _Damn he is_ _ **good**_ _with that thing!_ ) I marvel to myself as I crawl closer and closer to the unmanned ship, ducking behind crates the whole way and trying to keep the belt in my arms. Doing so while cuffed is incredibly difficult.

"Captain, come on!" I step onto the ship and hide just inside the doors, watching his fight with the Admiral and her goons.

He turns his head for a second, and gets shot in the chest!

Sliding backwards over the floor, he scrambles to gain purchase and my eyes dart wildly around the cabin of the ship, searching for something I can use- when it occurs to me that I can use  _the ship_.

So as the Admiral trains her sidearm on him and walks toward him with a gloating grin, her men backing her up, I start up the flight sequence and kick it into reverse. Dropping the belt on the floor next to the steering panel and waiting for the right moment...

It makes a godawful scraping noise as it goes hurtling across the hangar and throwing sparks, but the good thing is that it scares the Admiral's men into taking cover and the Admiral herself just freezes up with wide eyes. I hit the brakes and the shuttle stops like a handful of inches away from Captain Fairchild, who takes the chance to jump on board and slam his fist onto the door closing button.

I fire up the shuttle again, this time actually taking off- and sigh a breath of relief when I see the Captain's ship waiting for us and doing battle with Union ships attempting to blow it up.

Because I know as soon as we're  _on_  that ship, we're golden. His is so much larger and more durable than the ones attacking it, I'm sure they'll never knock the shield down in time to do any actual damage!

"Easy, easy," Captain Fairchild cautions as I haphazardly pilot the shuttle toward his ship. "Do you know how to fly?"

"Unofficially," I reply. "Not really great at it with anything bigger than-"

I yelp and spin the control for our flight pattern to swoop sideways and just barely miss being blown to pieces by a Union ship.

"Let me fly it, if you can't," he says.

And you'd expect it to be condescending or maybe angry but he's completely calm and nonjudgmental.

Weird. Every man I've ever known has liked to lord their superior skills in some area over me. I think it comes with the territory of being a leading woman in my field.

I appreciate the difference. "Sure, here, switch on three…" I do a quick countdown and move swiftly out of the way as the Captain takes my seat and pilots the shuttle more gracefully than I ever could.

Soon we're safely on board his ship and he's radioing his first officer, "Corvus, take us out."

" _Yes sir_ ," Corvus's voice issues from the radio.

His name is Corvus? Huh. So his name is basically like, 'Crow'?

I look at Captain Fairchild and have to hold in a snort as I clutch at the handrails on the ceiling of the cramped shuttle to keep myself up.

It's just…it's just too much. The brooding, cold-eyed Captain with a first officer who's literally named 'Crow'.

I might be slightly hysterical at this point.

"Come with me," Captain Fairchild mutters as he gets up out of his seat.

It isn't long before I feel the tell-tale shudder of the hyperdrive kicking in. So much less noticeable on such a big, stable starcraft.

Captain Fairchild leads the way through the ship to the bridge where he orders Corvus to take us somewhere we can 'lay low' for a while- then jerks his head at me to follow him down the hallway.

I stumble after him, everything catching up to me as my adrenaline wears off.

He stops before long and turns to face me, so I stop and stare at him for long moments until he tilts his helmeted head at me.

And I realize we're outside my assigned room. Did he just want to escort me back to my room?

Opening the door, I walk inside and collapse onto the edge of my bed, blinking at him as he walks inside and removes his helmet, pulling out a visor and placing it over his eyes before opening them and addressing me.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

No tone or inflection in his voice at all.

"They didn't hurt me," I reply. Probably sounding tired and overwrought, because I am.

"Good," his lips tip at one edge very slightly. "Because tomorrow your work begins. You should rest now."

I blink as he walks to the door and wonder what the hell that was about. But work tomorrow, yay!

Sorta. Maybe I'll still be sore, but at least I won't be bored.

Guess he just wanted to make sure I was still up for it. Would've been nice if it had actually been out of concern, but beggars can't be choosers. At least this means he wants me kept healthy.

Now. Time to find out if that shower in my bathroom is as heavenly as it looked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't think Orion would've called up Antares to ask him to give up the girl before going after her and infiltrating the ship-- I'm pretty sure they'd just go after her and then Antares would come tearing in afterwards.


	3. Chapter 3

I got up early this morning, unable to go back to sleep when I woke from a dream wherein I ended up punching the headboard above me and bruising my knuckles.

So I took a shower, got dressed in my newly clean jumpsuit- had to sleep naked which is a little weird -and headed straight for the bridge.

It's not that far from the quarters I was assigned and if I can't sleep, I need to work. If the Captain wasn't there- but he was. So I didn't even have to worry about it.

"The Blip bop doesn't have enough range to pick up signals further away from us, so in order to even get a general direction to start looking in- I'd have to extend that range," I explain to the Captain. "There's a few things I'd need, but most important of all is, I'd need a workshop."

"We have an engineering room with equipment," he replies. "I will show you to it, now."

The Captain sweeps off without another word and I'm left to scramble after him, tripping a little over my own feet. He doesn't really mince words, Captain Fairchild. Makes it hard to keep up, but I'll learn. Eventually.

He's still wearing that full-body armor with the helmet. I dunno where that visor is that he pulled out last night to cover his eyes when he took it off, but it seems he's not bringing it out anytime soon.

I wonder why that is?

Walking down so many hallways all leading somewhere different, I  _also_  wonder how none of the crew ever seems to get lost in here. This ship is so huge and I can't make heads or tails of any of these passages.

By the time we get to the Engineering room, I'm totally lost and my head is spinning a little. Oh well, guess I'm gonna need to make something for that, too.

"I have outfitted this room with-"

"No  _way_ ," I cut him off and dash into the room, jumping from station to station, babbling off names for things I can identify and eyeing everything else with relish and excitement. "I'm in  _heaven_."

"I am pleased it is sufficient," he says. Though I could swear I hear actual inflection in his voice and when I glance over my shoulder- is the very edge of his mouth tipping up, just a bit? Maybe I'm imagining it.

"Are you kidding me? Some of these tools are alien, which means they're probably more advanced than our own, if you bought them over their human counterparts- and it's gonna take me a while to learn them, but knowing the actual human models of these things, my mind boggles at the possibilities!" Aliens have different ways of doing things and sometimes those ways are better. Sometimes not.

But he seems to be up on his research, so I'm going to guess he hand picked everything in this room- and that maybe he's even used some of it.

I've never met a hobbyist engineer before. Everyone I know who's into it is  _fully_  into it. No half-measures at all.

He is definitely giving off an air of amusement or something right now, I can just feel it in the air around him. "I hope they serve you well, then. Is there anything else you require for this new detector?"

"Oh. Yes!" I suddenly remember the more difficult aspect of this design. "I invented a circuit specifically for this- it was a little unstable but it can handle a  _lot_  of energy. It's called a Whirly Circuit and-"

"Whirly Circuit," he repeats. Absolutely deadpan. "Blip Bop."

I flush up to my hairline and scowl, "yeah so what? They're mine, I invented them, I can name them whatever I want."

He sighs, "I will get you this…Circuit." He refuses to say it again, I guess.

At least he's not outright making fun of me like a lot of my colleagues do, I guess. "It's not that simple. They're kind of unstable and  _super_  hard to find. I tried to get my research funded and furthered but they denied my request and now they're all out on the black market and they're ridiculously expensive."

He stares at me and I get the feeling if I could see his eyebrows one might be quirked. I think.  _Could_  just be blankly staring at me.

"And we absolutely need it," he states, more than asks.

"It was made specifically for this purpose and it's powerful enough to do the job. The materials would be impossible to get to make more- so buying one that's already made is our best shot." I've created a lot of things over the years, explode-y things…but this one has the potential to be the explodiest.

I mean, it's not  _super_  unstable…if handled correctly…

"I will start the search immediately," he says. "As for the other supplies on the list…" he holds up the list and seems to scan it. "These shouldn't be difficult to obtain."

"No I don't think so," I reply. "As for now…are you going to tell me what all these foreign tools are or do you prefer I work it out for myself?"

I've had bosses who didn't want to waste time on initiating me before. It's more common to get dropped out of the nest, flightless and fumbling than it is to be taught to fly first. So to speak.

"Why not both?" he asks. That amusement I can feel deepens when his lips quirk again. It's so subtle it's hard to pick out but he's absolutely smirking now. "It would be good for me to test your full capabilities in all areas."

I roll my eyes, "I'm perfectly capable of identifying them, I just think it would be easier if you told me."

"Then tell me what this is," he picks up a small pen-like object and lobs it at me without care.

I catch it as delicately as I can and sigh, "a cooling laser. Choose something more complicated if you want to test me."

Instead of getting irritated at my bravado, his smirk seems to widen. "This, then."

We spend about ten minutes, going around the engineering room as he looks at me first to see if I know what it is before explaining the function of it.

I know all the human equipment and I can figure out most of the alien stuff- there's just a few things that are completely unrecognizable to me, mostly because they're from planets I've never heard of before.

"I have to get back to work now, but you can stay," he turns to Officer Corvus who's standing next to the door. "Officer Corvus will stay with you and escort you back to your quarters when you are finished familiarizing yourself."

"Thought I wasn't a prisoner," it irks me to have someone watching me. Especially as I agreed to come along specifically so I wouldn't have to deal with that.

"You aren't," he says and then simply turns his back on me. "But allies need to earn trust. I don't simply give it away. To anyone."

Well at least I'm not being locked in anywhere at the moment, I suppose. I'd figure I'd already proven myself enough. Or at least proven I want to be here instead of wanting to escape.

But well. Part of the reason I came along was to sabotage anything I could if he turned out not to be what he appears, so I guess this is just…sensible, on his part.

It still irritates me, though.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave feedback!
> 
> Even just a kudos or a comment that says kudos is really encouraging. But I LOVE long, rambly messages and I don't love them any less if they have spelling or grammar errors or if they're a little meandering.
> 
> Just talk to me, I promise if you're not being a dick, I'm perfectly nice.


End file.
